How much do you want to know? In this massive information age, you can be a know it all if you want to. Just hit a few websites and you can be a crack expert on any topic you chose.
What I'm having a problem with these days is the amount of personal information being offered by musicians or all 'celebrity' for that matter. For every new release or tour there is the publicity circuit. Going beyond the typical 'what's your inspiration' is a horrible new trend.
We are all knee deep in the Dr Phil world of publicity as therapy. Keith Richards snorts his dad, Ozzy snorts ants, everyone pukes in the pool. Those were the good old days. Rock and Roll bad boys being bad and drumming up the stories like war vets on a bar stool.. "One time.. back in 'Nam".
No longer is this the case, now its the bad boy story followed by the tears remorse and God saving. Anthony Kiedis sobbing about doing drugs with his dad and how he had to be better for his kid.is the latest in this fashion trend of 'forgive me world Im better now".
I, for one, do not want to forgive you. I want to see you fall off the stage, I want to hear your antics and laugh them off. The last thing I need is some baked rocker preaching how he found God and mineral water. Its a contradiction and if you're going that way I'm falling off your fan boat
We do plenty of interviews here at rocknyc. I cant recall a time when the question became 'personal', I don't care about your personal life. I want to know about your career I don't care what kid of toothpaste you use or if you chase it down with a bottle of Jack. Very personal struggles should remain such.
There is the Beiber-ites. To a younger generation being offered product placement and endorsement. "OH MY GOD HE DRINKS Aquafina TOOOOOOO!", but music fans wont care what you drink as long as the beat works.
I'm not a fan of humanizing musicians. Im there for the music and depending on who they are maybe the view. Will you win fans with the 'I am a psychological mess' card? Maybe, but not me.
Now very public blunders (falling of a stage, smashing a car, psycho fist fight) do require a bit of PR cleanup- case in point, Johnny Craig- selling bootleg computers on ebay and pocketing the cash, or The Kings of Leon drunken slather, or how about Amy Winehouse? Poor Amy had fellow musicians tweeting someone should help her- rather than help her. Its a screwy voyeur world.
Shut up and make music. I don't care if you found God or a great shampoo. Your job is to entertain me.